While the El Faro reported losing propulsion, taking on water, and listing before she went down in Hurricane Joaquin, the final shore side contacts for the vessel didn’t see any sign of a problem.
The second hearing session of the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation in to the El Faro sinking began with two Pilots involved in getting the ship out to open water on her final voyage. Docking Master and Federal Pilot Captain James Frudaker navigated the ship off the dock, and then St. Johns Bar Pilot Association State and Federal Pilot4 Captain Eric Bryson got her past some of the navigational challenges posed by the River.
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Both reported extensive experience on the ship, and both noticed no problems on her final departure.
“Anything out of the ordinary that day,” questioned Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation Member Keith Fawcett.
“No sir, there was nothing out of the ordinary,” Frudaker said.
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The MBI made it clear to each Pilot that their testimony held a lot of weight, being that they were the final shore contact the ship and her crew had before sinking. They were on the bridge, interacted with the crew, and experienced the ship in motion on the final departure.
"How about ship's electronic equipment, do you recall if everything was operable," Fawcett asked.
“There was no deficiencies that I remember,” says Frudaker.
Frudaker told the Board there had been times he had seen El Faro list, but that was generally during cargo loading operations and was fixed when she set out. On the final voyage, Frudaker says El Faro was even keel.
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Both Frudaker and Bryson reported the crew as being professional and competent at their work. Neither had involvement in voyage planning, although Bryson says he did speak briefly with the Captain about the upcoming bad weather. Bryson couldn't remember the exact comment he made to start the conversation, but Captain Michael Davidson made him aware they knew about Joaquin.
“Captain Davidson replied ‘I’m just gunna, we’re just gunna go out there and shoot under it’,” Bryson says.
Any other interaction Bryson had with Davidson on that trip was “routine”, he says, adding that he would only really remember the conversation if there was anything out of the ordinary.
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